I first learned about Freitag, a Swiss company, and its products while flipping through a magazine during a flight. What kept me reading the whole article instead of turning up the volume on my headphones to whatever random movie was playing on that mini screen 10 rows up was how they made their products. This wasn’t just another ho-hum ad for a travel bag; Freitag was born from something bigger.

The idea came about when graphic designer brothers Markus and Daniel Freitag wanted a durable and waterproof messenger bag to carry their belongings in. They traveled by bike and when it rained, their designs would get ruined. They were inspired by the colorful trucks that would drive past their apartment, so they made the very first Freitag bag out of a truck tarpaulin with a used car seatbelt as the strap and an old bicycle inner tube as the edging.

And there it was: an awesome looking bag that was practical and eco-friendly.

Since its first production in 1993, Freitag has expanded from messenger bags of various sizes to tote bags, duffle bags, wallets, and even soccer balls, as well as many other items. They continue to use the same recycled materials, making it a very eco-friendly company. If you are able to afford the price tag, which may be a bit steep, you will get a high quality and unique bag in return. Each product is made from tarpaulins of different colors and designs, so your bag will be the only one of its kind! With so many to choose from, there’s sure to be one you’ll love.

I’ve been wanting a Freitag bag since I read that article over a year ago. If only I could stop making all those trips to frozen yogurt shops and Forever 21 to save enough for one.

[I want it, I need it, I can’t live without it. There are so many things on store shelves and racks right now that we want to take home and hang in our closets. Things that are so cute, everyone should know about them. We’ll share ‘em with you here (because we’re that nice), but as far as actually getting them goes….well, you’re on your own with that one.]

Cute bathing suit? Check.
Sunscreen? Check.
Awesomely colorful beach bag? Hmm… Maybe not yet.

Well, Roxy is here to save the day with its cleverly named bag, “Dandy Lion.” The bag is made of durable cotton canvas, and its wide platform bottom makes storing your large beach towels a breeze (sorry, I tried to be as clever as Roxy). It has a back wall zip pocket and a slip pocket for your small items (so your cell phone/iPod don’t get lost in the shuffle) and a magnetic snap closure to keep everything secure. The bag is lightweight and big enough to carry your sunglasses, wallet, change of clothing, and all your other beach essentials (like, I don’t know, snacks?). Best of all, it comes in five, you guessed it, awesomely colorful patterns.

Personally, I’m all about the animal print bag in black. It’s bright, striking, and screams, “Have fun with fashion.” It also screams, “Don’t worry about spilling sunscreen/margarita all over me, because I’m totally affordable and you can throw me right into the washing machine.”

Yeah, this bag has a lot to say. And I totally want to hear more. Great beach days, here I come!

I skipped through the aisles. I danced to the dressing room. I filled my cart with every last piece of the line from Richard Chai. His collection features clothes that range from business casual to Plain Jane casual. Chai’s fun yet subtle use of color runs throughout the line, while he still maintains a more sophisticated air than you would expect from a line at Target.

But, while this line has many good things to offer (the colors are fun without being over the top, most of the looks classic), it just fell short for me. (I know, I was surprised too!) A lot of the clothes felt a little too old and the cuts of the shirts made me feel shapeless. It also seriously lacked a fun and flirty side that previous Go collections flaunted. The summer line, for example, was all about, “Look at me! I’m flirty and sophisticated! Wouldn’t this outfit look great with a margarita?”

Chai’s line, however, whispers, “I was crashing with my grandma and raided her closet after I dropped dinner on my shirt.” It’s not as if anything in the line is un-wearable, just not a first-string choice.

I see where the designer was going with it but, in my opinion, it fell flat. Really flat. He confused sophistication with old age, repeated the same clothes over and over again and lacked any sort of inspiration. Although some of the items could be worked into any wardrobe most of it was just, blah.

Sorry, Target, but this line just didn’t do it for me. What’s next?!

Add one more to the line of cute-n-quirky games that are being put out to attract gamers to shelves. Like Katamari Damacy, the game play is easy, the colors bright, the plot simple: feed the princess, make her heavy so people don’t steal her. Easy! But is it too much?

Some feminists seem to think so. According to this article, feminist gamers from no less than two web sites are up in arms over this. Because she’s a girl. And she’s fat. That’s a problem for feminism. . . apparently.

Now before we proceed, I am a feminist. Ra, ra, fight against inequalities and all that. But rather then be upset about this game, I’ve found a few reasons to applaud this game. Yes, in the name of feminism.

I see Fat Princess as a new wave in gaming.

For starters, she’s in her own castle. This is no damsel in distress that’s been whisked away by some fiendish overlord waiting for some dashing knight to get off his questing butt and come save her. No, her kingdom didn’t let her get stolen. They want her to stay. They value her. Not as some after-prize for vanquishing evil, like, “Sure random adventurer, if you kill Evil Guy over there you can marry that chick he stole.” No, they don’t want you to steal their Princess. They want to keep her.

Secondly, Princess places value on things over her physical appearance. Clearly her little soldiers aren’t great in number, but you know what her kingdom does have? A forest full of cake that they’re going to use to their advantage. She’s not saying, “No I’d rather just get captured.” She says “Pass the cake, I gotta put on some pounds to save my life.”

Not to mention the fact that in ancient times before women were oppressed as the “weaker sex” they were worshiped and loved for their roundness. So, now we have this game that is simply reenacting ancient rituals that uplifted and adored women.

This is a feminist game. Laughing at it is alright because its teaching us to laugh at ourselves and our own absurd culture. There’s nothing wrong with Fat Princess. There will be cake… and I will feed it to her.

[Photo courtesy of Fat Priness game site.]

Yes, trends come and go, so we should probably just shut up and learn to live with them.

However, that is so not my style.

So, that said, here are the three trends of the summer that I most hate. Agree? Disagree? Couldn’t give a shoop? All fine, but I flippin’ hate these.

(3) Fuchsia Lips

Or, rather, fuchsia lipstick.

Fuchsia lips are an example of a trend that works fine on the runway but fails just about everywhere else. In other words, it looks fine if you aren’t trying to look at the actual person.

In the pictures above, we’ve got two adorable, gorgeous celebrities (Christina Ricci and Beyonce)…and they both look strangely washed out and clowny and old, even with the help of celebrity make-up artists.

Now, I’ve been told fuchsia lips just need to be treated like red lips: everything else should be minimal and then it’s fine. But I’ve got to say, I just don’t think there’s a way to make this trend look appropriate for anything except a rave.

(Disclaimer: If your look is punk, fuchsia’s adorable. Let me just say that.)

(2) Colorful Skinny Jeans

I don’t know. I have a feeling I might just be a fuddy duddy on this one.

But I just think colorful skinny jeans look completely lame.

I mean, jeans are cool. They’re like, I don’t care and I don’t have to try–my ass always looks this good. But the colored jeans, especially the skinny kind, are just trying so hard. They scream, LOOK!!! LOOK WHAT I CAN PULL OFF! when, in fact, I’ve yet to see anyone really look hot in them. Cute, yes. Hot, no.

Plus, all you can wear with them is white or black (or maybe another neutral if you’re lucky). Yawn. I’ll stick with my dark-blue low-rise boot-cuts, thank you.

(1) Scarves Tied Into Triangles

Why, God, why?! WE HAVE NECKS!!! WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE NECKS?!

Doesn’t whoever is setting this trend know that the neck is one of the sexiest parts of the body? I mean, you wouldn’t wear a turtleneck to seduce someone, right? And showing the nape of the neck is traditionally and universally balls-to-the-walls sexy; that’s why geishas wear their hair up.

And worse, seriously, it’s HOT out this time of the year! Shorts and scarves do not match!!! Why must we putting ourselves through sweaty, itchy hell in the summer just to accomplish the heights of gross hipster fashion?

STOP THE INSANITY!!!!!!!!

So, voila! My top three most hated summer trends.

Got any you want to add?

[Images courtesy of http://thebestdamnthingever.blogspot.com, www.patriciafield.com/, and fashionsphere.wordpress.com/]